Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Day 1: Endurance Swimpod, Open Water

Yesterday was the first day of the Open Water Endurance Swimpod. Pete was just finishing up with an earlier class and told us his gauge measured the water temperature at 16 degrees, but it felt more like 12 or 13 to me! In fact, it seemed much cooler than Sunday, when a group of us swam at Whytecliffe Park.

Cold water notwithstanding, it was a fantastic hour and I am really looking forward to the rest of the class. Jen had us swimming right away and kept us swimming, so we stayed warm and got the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with our wetsuits and the low visibility. We worked on sighting and different ways of doing so while maintaining streamline, plus breathing and relaxation.

The group seems really cool and though I'll miss my buddies that I have been swimming with since last September, I've already met two women that want to join our open water weekend adventures. Plus Heather will be coming on Wednesday nights and it will be great to see her smiling face in the water next to me.

I worked so hard all winter on tweaking my technique in the pool and it was a little disheartening, as it is every spring when I first get outside, to put on my wetsuit and see my buoyancy and kicking go all to hell. But I know I'll settle into it and develop a rhythm. And, of course, the joy of swimming in the ocean will more than make up for it. First realized benefit? The chlorine induced runny nose and sneezing is gone!